Why are Hansen's Disease Patients Different?

In the Catholic Times, an article on Hansen's disease has the headline: Approaching those with Hansen's disease is still difficult. The journalist writes about the 29 cured with a history of Hansen's disease now living in a village as a family.They left the home for  the first time since birth for a three day trip to Jeju-do.
 
Before they left the priest in charge made reservations at a hotel. However, when they arrived they were told there was a mistake made and a group of young people on their school excursion trip were accepted and are sorry for the inconvenience.
They had to go to a pension they knew would accept them.
 
The group was elated with the joy of the trip to Jeju-do but the prejudice and discrimination were present in many different ways. At a restaurant when they ordered a pot stew dish the waiter wanted to know if the priest accompanying the group wanted a separate pot. He politely refused. Prejudice gives birth to discrimination and discrimination to prejudice and this has been the case for thousands of years.
 
Discrimination has been the attitude of world and the church for centuries. The church is partialy responsible for making the sufferers from this disease 'outsiders'.

 Leper was used but now after the Norwegian doctor, Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen (1841-1912) discovered the bacterium that causes the disease the name was changed.  

In the Old Testament, the disease was considered a penalty from heaven, a curse from God. This is seen often in the Old Testament. Leprosy is seen also in the New Testament but treated differently. Jesus touches lepers, breaking a tradition that was present for centuries. Jesus went to the homes of lepers but today after 2000 years, the priest asks: are we still living in the Old Testament times or New Testament times?
 
According to statistic, we have 10,402 Hansen's patients. Only 87 are positive and are being treated the other 99% have been cured. Many are living in homes for those with a history of Hansen's disease but 6,213  are living in their own homes. The average age is about 74 and in the near future, the disease  will disappear into history.
 
Within a year, less than 10 are diagnosed with the bacterium.The common opinion of the medical practitioners who work in the field, those taking medicine are cured and the danger of contagion is slight.
 
We have entered the stage where the disappearance of the disease is envisioned but an important step has still to be taken. We have persons cured of the disease who live separately from others and this is true within the church. Even if our intellects tell us and we want to come closer to them, we see believers whose body recoils when in their presence.

Born to be Loved

"You were born to be loved" is the title of an article in Bible & Life by a therapist of her own happiness research institute. She tells us the story of a mixed-blood child that she met some 5 years ago who was attending a kindergarten and was diagnosed as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She was brought to her institute for counseling.
 
To the therapist, the 6-year-old child, Mini, was a normal healthy child with great curiosity and full of energy. She was the child of a Korean mother and  African American father who was found after birth and brought to a foundling home to be raised. She received much love but because of her skin color, curly hair and large eyes she was the attention of all who saw her and not always for the good. Mini's  reflex action was to defend herself and when she did cry out and make a fuss she was punished.
 
Since her appearance was different from the others she was an object of ridicule and harassed, when she defended herself she alone was punished. She suffered unfairly and cried a lot making for a difficult situation in which she was reacting in a scattered brain way and finally diagnosed with attention deficiency and given drugs to control her actions.
 
The therapist rather than medicine Mini needed to be treated warmly. During vacation time she went to the home of the therapist and away from the harassment at the foundling home. She was warmly received and radiated joy in all she did.
 
When the therapist was studying in the States a couple she knew came to Korea when Mini was in her home. The couple were attracted to Mini because of her behavior and energy. They wanted to adopt the child but because of the impression Korea has given to the  rest of the world, as an exporter of children, they made the regulations to adopt a Korean child difficult and for those within the country much easier. The American couple were over 45 years old, they were 47 and this was too old for foreigners but not for Koreans.
 
The therapist thought that as she would be entering her teens she would be dealing with many more conflicts and the therapist began to worry. On entering the 4th grade of elementary school the therapist thought of a great adventure: she would take Mini to the United States. Mini would meet many others with her features; better than words, to experience this would be important.
 
However, in entering the United States she was asked if she was the related to the child and from there on problems arose. She was questioned, missed her plane but finally did arrive at her destination. Mini  met many with her skin color who were enjoying life and she no longer saw herself as a person from out of space.  Meeting the couple from the States was also a help in Mini's development
 
On her return to Korea Mini found great confidence in herself and from a look of despondency was developing into a girl full of joy and charm, the therapist  ends the article with the words of the song: "You were born to be loved."

"Let what you have said be done to me"

Last week the liturgical year began with the first Sunday of Advent. A time to sanctify our own temples waiting for the birth of Jesus. At this time in Korea, the church and the world are concerned about the abolition of the abortion law and those in opposition are geared up for a fight.  A religious sister writes in View from the Ark on the issue.
 
The Bioethics Committee of the Bishops has made clear the position of the Church. Despite the clarity of Christian opposition to abortion Christians are not agreed on the evil of abortion. More than half of the people in Korea think the law against abortion should be abolished. In a poll that was made by a survey of 516 men and women aged 19 and older nationwide 51.9% said the law against abortion should be abolished. 36.2% wanted the law continued and 11.9% didn't know. 59.9% of the women wanted the law abrogated and 30.1% wanted it continued.

"None of the women who had an abortion were ignorant of the sanctity of life. Of course I think that abortion should be reduced. Women suffer considerable stress and psychological distress because of abortions. The problem is that abortion is a crime. Because abortion is illegal women are punished and women's health is jeopardized."  These are the words of an activist wanting the repeal of the law.
 
There is a sharp confrontation between the right to life of the fetus and the right of self-determination of the woman. Sister does not think it is a matter of choosing or giving up either one of them. It is the state that is responsible for life and safety of the people. Care, protection, and respect for the weak and the marginalized lives that are innocent and unable to protect themselves are the common interest of the nation.
 
What is necessary now is not to have a change in the law but rather to find ways to strengthen the responsibility of the state and men. The church also should consider ways to provide more practical and concrete assistance to problems faced by women so they are allowed to cherish the lives of the unborn.
 
The church is now carrying out a prayer campaign to gain a million signature to oppose the abolition of the abortion laws. We need to participate in this prayer movement so we can find the will of God, the master of life in the culture of death that is so prevalent in our lives and consciousness.
 
During this season of Advent, we are waiting for the birth of Jesus and thinking of the Blessed Mother and her response to the angel. She was prepared to be God's servant. She overcame all her fears to participate in God's work of salvation. Her constant and strong trust should find a place in our hearts during this season.   

Education of Monsters in Society

A professor in the Kyeongyang magazine brings to the attention of the readers the way we educate monsters. John Stuart Mills the economist and philosopher is paraphrased: "One person with a belief is equal to the force of 100,000 who have only interests."

In a world that praises those who abandoned their beliefs in order to make secular monetary gain is a present day reality and many are awed by those who follow their beliefs. However, those who follow their beliefs not infrequently bring fear and pain to those around them.

The professor then gives us a profile of Anders Behring Breivik, a mass murderer who killed 8 and injured many others in an  explosion in Oslo, Norway,  and going to an island where a youth labor group was meeting killed another 68. He was against multiculturalism that the labor party sympathized  with and helped. The professor asks the readers what prepared this young person to perpetrate this horrendous act and publicize it on SNS with the above quote from John Stuart Mills.

On Facebook, he made known to the world that he spent on self-study 14,500 hours on business adminstration and history and another 3,000 hours studying religion and finances, sufficient, he says on Facebook to get a master's degree in the subjects.

Of all the animals on the earth humans have the ability to think but at the same time are the cruelest.  When some judge another to have done something not liked we hear of cases where they kill and justify their acts.

Moreover, when justification is made as a group or on a social level, the result is beyond imagination. The Nazis were able to kill six million people in six years and  justify their actions at the collective level. Scholarly studies often fosters this ability to justify our actions.

We all understood that study and knowledge make us better persons. This was the way we looked at learning because in the past education was to cultivate our humanity and was consistent with our reason. Consequently, the more study the chances that such a person would have a well formed character and  moral sense was taken for granted.

However, scholarly study at present is not what it was years ago. Today study is to enable a person to logically systematize thoughts so as to convey ideas. To study a lot is to master the subject with no concern for the person's self-betterment and building of character. A person misunderstands dialogue as the ability to present his position, his or her efforts to elaborate their opinion is what is important and when not accepted they despair and often express hostility.

Korea's devotion to study is second to no other country in the world. The numbers that go on to college is high and the years spent in study continue to increase but at the same time horrible and shocking events continue to appear in society.There are many varied reasons but our educational system can't be excluded. 

Thoughts can help to destroy ourselves and others but also to sacrifice ourselves for others. From an early age, we need to educate to see the pain of others and want to help, this will make the world a different place in which to live. Otherwise, we will be producing 'philosophers' like Breivik who think what they do is for the betterment of humanity.

Happy New Year of Jubilee

Catholics living in Asia celebrate the New Year three times and today is the first of the three. Advent is the beginning of the church year, our first call to begin again, the second comes with the solar new year on Jan.1st and on Feb. 16, 2018  we celebrate the lunar new year which is the real New Year for most Asians.

In the Catholic Peace Weekly one of the writers in his column prepares the readers to make the most of the new year's beginning. From his own personal experience there is the crossing of two emotions. The feeling of gratitude for what was accomplished and on the other hand remorse and feeling of defiency for what could  have been. But with the new there is hope and a new resolution. Of course also some fear and worry but his hope will also be there in first place. Without which we will not be beginning a new year.

Looking back there is little that was accomplished as planned. Most of the problems were caused by himself rather than disrupted by unaviodable cirucumstance. In the family, with peers and in relationship with people the problems were self inflicted but at the same time much was worthwhile and for which he is thankful despite the hesitations and regrets.

Hope is embraced with the new start. It is not filled with anxiety for the future but a joy associated with the specific joy of the birth of the Savior. The new year does not begin with the birth of Jesus but with Advent to give us time to repent for our weaknesses and failures of the past year and prepare for the joy that Jesus has brought to us with his brith.

Moreover this new year begins with the Jubilee Year of the laity. What do we mean by the  Jubilee of the Laity? Is it not  the year in which the laity  with great joy live with the understanding of the meaning of Jubilee? We Christians are disciples of Jesus who are given the task like Jesus to proclaim the Lord's year of favor (Jubilee) Lk. 4:19. A time to liberate, become holy and spread the joy we have received.

For many these words are empty of meaning.The calling of the church is clear. Materialism, searching for pleasure, human rights abuses, contempt for life makes our society increasingly dark. We need to see beyond the darkness. Let's proclaim the Jubilee in all that we do during the year.

Pope Fancis in his visit to Korea in 2014  emphasized this in his call to the Korean laity. He wants the laity to approach first those who are in need of help, and  help them to live a decent life as human beings. The family, the basic unit of society, should be prepared  for this mission with its unity and mission.

Jubilee encourages us to start with courage, joy, hope and conviction it is the wellspring for our mission. We believe in God who is holy, merciful, and loving, the God of Jubilee.

Cooperators With God, Not Absolute Dominion

 In many parts of the world environmental activists and those who want to see economic progress are in opposition to each other. Both have ample reasons for their positions and the issue is not one that is easily dealt with.

An article in the Catholic Times presents the case for the environmentalist. A priest working in this field presents his thoughts for the readers in the View from the Ark. In  the year 2000 a large number of children requested the Seoul Administrative Court to suspend a reclamation project that was destroying a tidal flat for future generations.

Based on the Rio Declaration which refers to the environmental rights of future generations: natural resources do not belong to the present generation but are the common wealth of future generations. The court however dismissed the children's case for not being eligible plaintiffs. We do not have a sense of responsibility for future generations nor reflect on the burden we are placing on them.

Forty three children in the Philippines in 1990 won a lawsuit against the logging companies for the felling of trees in virgin forests that would mortgage the future of these children and future generations according to the Rio Declaration. Consequently, the government rescinded more than 70 permissions that were given.

At the time the universe was created one of the most popular theories is called the Big Bang, about 13.7 billion years ago. From nothing we have something. It is assumed that there was an impulse toward life from the first moment of the Big Bang. He quotes that God has prepared to meet us for 13.7 billion years.

Problems in the ecosystem of this  wonderful universe that God created have appeared. A great deal of time has passed from the creation of the world. From the the time of our industrialization, resources discovered and pollutants dispersed we have done more harm to the ecosystem than any time from the appearance of humans on earth. We have not done a good job as stewards.

Korea in the amount of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions is ranked 7th in the world and the climate change is something that is experienced in Korea. After Fukushima nuclear disaster and the understanding of the dangers of nuclear power and nuclear waste we are still talking about the increase of nuclear power plants. Knowing that publis opinion is still far from being convinced of the problems he laments the arogance and lack of wisdom that he sees.

In Laudatio Si Encyclical Letter Pope Francis stresses: "Once the human being declares independence from reality and behaves with absolute dominion, the very foundations of our life begin to crumble, for 'instead of carrying out his role as a cooperator with God in the work of creation, man sets himself up in place of God and thus ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature'. Humans don't have absolute dominion over the world we have to acknowledge this truth. We can't solve our problems only in our way but in God's way.

Brotherly Love And Peace On the Peninsula

A peace activist writing in a Catholic Times' column on Korean unification and reconciliation introduces the readers to a folktale all Koreans know. It's the story of two brothers: Nolbu and Heungbu. Their father left the family inheritance to both equally but the older brother kept it all and threw out his brother. The brother did not complain and accepted his life of poverty.

One day Heungbu saw a swallow on the ground with a broken leg and treated the bird so it could fly. The following spring the swallow returned with a seed. He planted the seed in the yard it became a big gourd. When he cut open the gourd all kinds of good things came out: gold and gems. He sold them and became wealthy.

This news reached his brother Nolbu who asked his brother how he became so wealthy so quickly. The brother explained what happened with the swallow. Nolbu went home and broke the leg of a swallow and waited until the following spring. He also was given a seed which he planted but this time all kinds of bad things came out and he lost all that he possessed.

The younger brother helped his older brother without his knowledge. In conclusion the older brother apologized for his greed and the younger brother shared his wealth with the brother and they lived happily ever after.

Do we have this type of opposites in real life resolving in this way? We don't find persons who are all good or all bad. Usually we cast our light on what we want to see and ignore what we don't want to see. We can bring to the fore the good or the bad.

Behind any conflict or fight there is another side that's developed over many years in the way participants grew up and were raised. What is the secret for a resolution? Is it to continue maintaining one's viewpoint or to consider the other viewpoint if one wants to see some resolution?

Brothers quarrel and go to their rooms and lock the door is this not what we experience in our world? Mother is in the kitchen preparing a delicious meal but anger blocks them from the enjoyment to their great loss.

Rather than have a third party do the knocking on the door when it is one of the brothers, elder or younger and they have a desire for understanding,   the opening of the heart, the knocking on the door is not a problem. This has a greater possibility of resolution than having a third party doing the knocking, where defensiveness and revenge often appear.

We are all weak deficient human beings. However, despite this we we make the effort with the strength and freedom we have and if we don't have the  strength we know it will be given to us and quietly go to the door and knock. "Let's resolve our problem",  these words gives us a hope for change.